100 Days, 100 Things: Days 41-60

This is part 3 of my attempts to note down something interesting, new, weird or stupidly mundane each day in the countdown to finishing work before I set off on my round-the-world Grand Tour adventure. Things are getting both more mundane and more interesting. How this is even possible, I have no idea...

41. Thursday 14th April - made pho.
Having tried the Vietnamese noodle soup at Pho in Manchester, I decided to have a go at making it myself. My attempt at chicken pho turned out pretty nice, especially with the pile of beansprouts I dumped into it!

42. Friday 15th April - pasta bake?
Looks like nothing interesting happened on this day. First pasta bake in a couple of years was as exciting as it got.

43. Saturday 16th April - took a walk on Saddleworth.
My mum was supposed to be taking a balloon flight from Bakewell for her birthday but the weather turned against us. Instead, we took the dogs out for a walk on Saddleworth Moor, something we've been meaning to do since Mum moved to Manchester nearly 2 years ago.

44. Sunday 17th April - finally did some proper gardening.
I can't remember what I actually did. Possibly I dug over the veg patch? Or did I put the onions in? Nah... I think the onions went in the week after... Nope. It was this day. Onions, shallots, garlic and potatoes. All going in a bit too late for my liking and none of which I'll have the joy of eating because I'll be on the other side of the globe. All the more for the relatives.

45. Monday 18th April - blogged for the first time in ages.
Which, I do believe, was the last post in this series. You can read it here: 100 Days, 100 Things: Days 21-40.

46. Tuesday 19th April - created an overly detailed packing list.
I almost always use a packing list for holidays and short trips, so I figured I need a super-awesome one for the Grand Tour. After all, how on earth am I going to make it all the way round-the-world if I manage to forget something along the way?

47. Wednesday 20th April - started planning Australian adventures.
Claire got her flights booked to join me in Australia over the New Year, so we could finally start planning what we want to do in those 2 weeks. Too many things to do!

48. Thursday 21st April - overdosed on pretty AirBnB listings.
Falling a little bit in love with AirBnB, especially given how many awesome listings there are for Sydney at New Year.

49. Friday 22nd April - started laying out all the things on the aforementioned packing list.
And started worrying that a) I've forgotten some things and b) it won't all fit in my rucksack...

50. Saturday 23rd April - The Complete Walk.
Took a trip to London with my sister to see as many of the 37 films which made up The Complete Walk as possible. 15/37 - not bad going considering the technical difficulties. So much Shakespeare! And topped off with an evening of Shakespeare on the BBC when I got home.

51. Sunday 24th April - booked my first AirBnB.
Got the accommodation booked for my stay in Sydney over New Year with Claire. A lovely little studio apartment a little way out of the city centre for less than half the price it would have been to stay in a hostel, let alone a hotel.

52. Monday 25th April - fell off the blogging wagon.
Yeah... my attempts to keep blogging regularly are not going so well. Doesn't bode well for me keeping on top of it while I'm away, does it?

53. Tuesday 26th April - booked Australia flights. Poor bank balance.
Sorted out internal flights for the two weeks I'm spending with Claire in Australia, just to make sure we actually end up on the same flights. My bank account doesn't know what's hit it this month...

54. Wednesday 27th April - more jabs.
Back to the doctors to get yet another jab, this time for my Hep B booster. Also got my prescription for anti-malarials sorted, so that's another thing I can stop worrying about.

55. Thursday 28th April - played the bath game with the dogs.
We took the dogs out for quite a late walk because the weather had been foul all day. When we got back, we played the game where I chase them round the kitchen with the towel in an attempt to dry them off. They love it - they get like puppies again. Might not like getting wet, but they really like avoiding getting dry!

56. Friday 29th April - more jabs.
Yet another jab, but hopefully this one is the last one I'll need. Certainly the most expensive - anyone want to explain to me why the Yellow Fever vaccine is so very costly? At least I don't seem to have had any side effects from it yet.

57. Saturday 30th April - dogs on the beach.
Took the dogs down to the beach. They love the beach. Poppy invited herself to someone's picnic and Mum nearly had to pull her out of a bag of crisps. Sneaky sausage dog.

58. Sunday 1st May - "Not even for me?"
Someone let slip to my nanna that I'm going away for a year and now she's spending every time I see her trying to talk me out of it. We have now had such classics as "But I might not be here when you get back!" and "You won't change your mind? Not even for me?" This is exactly why I didn't tell her.

59. Monday 2nd May - fixed my "critical error".
No thanks to Microsoft. My Windows 10 threw up a glitch and basically broke my start menu. Microsoft's fixes didn't work, but the one I used last time this happened did. And Microsoft don't seem to know a thing about it. Thanks, guys.

60. Tuesday 3rd May - uh...
Not a lot happened. Other than a minor freak out when I realised that it's now less than 6 weeks until the Grand Tour kicks off. Yeep.

Excitement is setting in! Less than 6 weeks to go!

The Joy of Trains

If you're a Brit like me, you'll know how we love to knock train travel. It's expensive, slow and doesn't run as often as we'd like. Not to mention the delays.

But look at it another way. You could drive, but that means you doing the work. You have to focus on the road and mostly miss the views. Sure, it might be cheaper and you'll almost certainly get there quicker, but isn't the journey part of the fun?

Sometimes it's good to just slow down and take the long way round for a change. Train lines cross some of the wildest, most beautiful parts of the world. I get to see this view every time I take the train to Manchester (weather dependent) because the route goes through the always beautiful Hope Valley.

From seeing New Forest ponies on the train to Bournemouth to crossing mountains in New Zealand, you see so much more when you take a train instead. And when it all goes wrong and the train gets delayed or you're stranded at a station (looking at you, Sheffield, with you shit signals), that's all just another part of the adventure, right?

So, in recognition of how lovely a train journey can be (discounting the Tube, because I’m never going to like the Tube), here are some of the most scenic railways from around the world.

1. North Yorkshire Moors Railway, UK

I love the Yorkshire Moors. It’s a beautiful area and if you don’t fancy taking a stroll along any of the numerous tracks, you can sit back and enjoy the view from the iconic North York Moors Railway. Pulled by both steam and diesel locomotives (great when your dad’s a bit into his trains and obviously not because I quite like steam trains too…), this line runs through the valleys from Pickering on the southern edge of the moors to Whitby on the coast to the north. For added pop culture value, you can hop off the train at Goathland, the setting for the Heartbeat’s Aidensfield and make sure to check out the station itself – Harry Potter fans might recognise it as Hogsmeade station from the films.

If you don’t fancy the train, there’s a path which follows the line at least between Grosmont and Goathland with parking at both ends, though Grosmont tends to be less busy.

2. TranzAlpine, New Zealand

The Southern Alps, spanning the length of New Zealand’s South Island, are crossed by only 3 passes. Now, you could hire a car and drive one of them, but in winter especially the roads can be closed for hours and days. Why not take the train instead? Sit back, relax and enjoy the view. The TranzAlpine is clearly a tourist train, not aimed at locals travelling between east and west, but don’t let that put you off. There’s huge windows in the coaches, audio commentary at various points and the train goes at the right sort of speed for you to take photos and really take in the view.

Plus, let’s not forget the wonderful open-air car. Who wouldn’t want to get “bitch-slapped by nature” in New Zealand?

3. Indian Pacific, Australia

Australia is vast. Something you don’t always realise from looking at maps. But it’s huge. Really fucking huge. Getting from east to west can take ages. Now, you could hop on a flight and the views are pretty good, although for great flight views in Oz I’d recommend the Alice Springs-Adelaide route because oh my god, Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is beautiful from above.

But for getting across from Sydney to Perth, I’m going to try the train. Well, at least from Adelaide to Perth. The Indian Pacific cuts in an almost straight line right across the desert and scrublands of Nullarbor. It takes three days to make the trip and sounds like a great way of kicking back for a few days. Sure, I could take a flight and be in Perth in a few hours, but it’s the experience that counts, right? Besides, I’ve never taken an overnight train before. New adventures ahoy!

4. Cusco-Aguas Calientes, Peru

Machu Picchu is something of a Peruvian must-do, but how to get there? The nearest big town is Cusco, nestled in the mountains a few hours away. The nearest settlement to the ruins themselves is Aguas Calientes, a 5 mile drive away. I don’t drive, so the options are limited to bus or train. Bus is cheaper. Train is prettier and probably more comfortable. Train it is, then.

PeruRail run three different trains from just outside Cusco, varying in luxury, but all take the same route through the valley, winding alongside the river before reaching Aguas Calientes, the end of the line and jumping off point for a shuttle bus to Machu Picchu. There’s also the option of stopping at Ollantaytambo, which looks like a beautiful little town and well worth exploring.

5. Transpennine, UK

Probably the only one on this list that’s not aimed at tourists. The Transpennine runs between the east and west coasts of the UK from various stations. It’s also the train I take most often since it runs from my hometown to Manchester, where my mum lives. You’d think a journey you make often would get boring, but it’s such a scenic route that I always end up spotting new things. The line is at its best on the stretch between Sheffield and Manchester where it climbs up into the Peak District National Park, winding through the Hope Valley. You could hope off here at Hope, Edale or Hathersage and go walking – some gorgeous tracks up here. From the train you can also see Mam Tor, overlooking the valley.


As one final point, I wrote a big chunk of this while I was on the train to Manchester. Wouldn't have been able to do that in a car - I'd have got travel sick.

Do you enjoy train travel? Been on any rickety old rails? Why not share in the comments below?

Bouldering: Aches, strains and embracing your inner child

Picture this: you're clinging to a rock face, searching for the next hold. The ground is far below you. Oh, and there's no ropes.

This is bouldering. Or as my brain insists on calling it "rock-climbing-without-ropes".OK, so the ground's never going to be that far below you - most climbs only reach about 6m - but the thought of falling even a few metres seemed to be enough to keep me clinging on for dear life.

I've been climbing a couple of times before. Nothing spectacular - indoor walls for fun rather than technique - but I really enjoyed it. So when my mum suggested trying out bouldering for my sister's birthday it sounded like a wonderful plan.

Rockover Climbing Centre in Manchester seems to specialise in bouldering, so we headed there for an induction session. There's little kit involved - just a pair of climbing shoes to help you keep your feet in a better position.

There's just me, my mum, my sister and a guy with his son. First impressions of the walls are "ohhhh... that's quite high" followed by "I hate these shoes". The latter because our first foray across the traverse wall resulted in the climbing shoes crushing my dodgy toe. Ouch.

From that first sideways clamber to get us going, we moved onto some climbing.

"Right," said our guide, "just swing up and grab the next hold."

"Just straighten your leg and reach up."

That easy. Only, my leg kept going into spasm which meant straightening it wasn't really an option. Brilliant fun though.

I imagine it's much like climbing trees. I never climbed trees as a kid, but there's something really wonderful about clambering up a wall with no rope to catch you. When I've been climbing before I've managed to reach the top pretty quick, but bouldering makes you really think about where you're putting your hands and feet.

Several times I managed to get myself nearly within reach of the final hold, only to find that I'd got myself into such a position that there was no way to get there. From there, the only way to move is down. Get to the bottom, have another look at the wall, work out where you went wrong and try again.

Now I've been on that induction session, I can go back whenever I want. Clamber about unsupervised. Probably get stuck a few more times. Great fun. Just need to find some different shoes...

Oh, and I need practice. Partly because my arms and shoulders ached like hell for 2 days after the session and partly because I fancy adding bouldering to my list of adventures for the Grand Tour. A friend gave me Lonely Planet's 1000 Ultimate Adventures for Christmas and it includes bouldering in Canada and Australia.

Bit too advanced, maybe?

So I'll be back on the indoor walls before I leave, trying to work out how to reach that last hold. Got to love a bit of adventure for your inner child.